Maybe something really will come of Detroit's downsizing plan. The Kresge Foundation has already hired a planner that will be paid by the foundation but work for the city's planning and economic development department. I can imagine others in the city (either regular citizens or folks in the city government) who might feel this is some sort of conflict of interest by having an outsider, paid for by a suburban foundation no less! gasp! working in such a capacity.

Kressge has given quite a bit to the City of Detroit. Even though it may be located in an old farmhouse across from the K-mart HQ, its ties run deep. WSU, The Historic Museum, the DIA, the Riverwalk, and countless other civic achievements have been helped by the KF.

Kressge has given quite a bit to the City of Detroit. Even though it may be located in an old farmhouse across from the K-mart HQ, its ties run deep. WSU, The Historic Museum, the DIA, the Riverwalk, and countless other civic achievements have been helped by the KF.

I don't question Kresge's motivations. As somebody who previously worked in the private foundation world, I always found the folks there to be pretty genuine... and living within a very easy bicycle commute to their HQ, I always keep an out for job openings there!

My concern is how the esteemed members of the Detroit City Council will look at the situation or how a less informed but concerned citizen will look at it.

My concern is how the esteemed members of the Detroit City Council will look at the situation or how a less informed but concerned citizen will look at it.

Most realize that Detroit can't afford to snub an offer from a foundation as important as Kressge. Now it may ruffle some feathers of those who will work in the Department, I hope they can see the benefit of having another person to share the workload.

Now it may ruffle some feathers of those who will work in the Department, I hope they can see the benefit of having another person to share the workload.

This brings up an interesting point. Detroit seems like an excellent, bottom-up opportunity for creative urban planning and motivated planning professionals. But what's the atmosphere like for planners there? Is there a distinct insider v. outsider perspective?

Any economist worth her salt would tell you that unless there is a reasonabel level of security, an area tha labors under a poor reputain/negative growth trend will find it difficult to rebound. I don't know what the newsworthy crime rate is like in 'urban' Detroit but, like NYC in soem ways, it needs for the rate to fall to well below national average for 5-10 years before the fact becomes ufficiently embedded in the collective unconscious. Easier said than done, I guess.

Another unpalatable hsitorical lesson si that for an 'asset' that is very badly undepriced due to reptuational/historical as well as actual commercial reasons, to rebound, a relatively small group of players need to be offered an 'unfair' prospect of massive gain.
Would someone build on (selected) urbain prairie areas if they were given, say, 20 lots for free, with no city taxes for 10 years? Yes? Do it. No? How about 100 lots? Just the construction jobs would attract secondary spin-off jobs, etc.

On the schools front, I think the current SecEd has some fairly good ideas, though not too radical.

From what I'm seeing in Buffalo, there's a new generation of young adults -- really, Generation Xers, Generation Yers, and Millennials -- who no longer see Buffalo as a cesspool to be feared. Those behind the Detroit Declaration seem to be expressing similar thoughts towards the Motor City.

From the site:

PREAMBLE

Cities are the greatest expression of civilization. Great cities are filled with people who exercise their talent and creativity as the catalytic risk-takers, doers, and leaders who forge the dynamic marketplace of ideas that grow places into prosperity. We are the people who believe in cities and pledge to align our energies for the benefit of Michigan’s largest and most storied city, Detroit.

Detroit’s place in history is secure no doubt. But if Detroit is to have any chance at a prosperous future, we must act boldly and swiftly to address the structural deficiencies that have acted over the decades to conspire against our central premise. Because in the greatest irony of Detroit’s astounding story over the last hundred years, we acknowledge that our greatest single mistake has been to disinvest in our core asset, the very city itself.

To return to prosperity we must seize this unprecedented opportunity to remake ourselves and our city in a fundamental way. We must have the vision to not only honor Detroit on its own terms today, but work towards what Detroit can become tomorrow. We must recognize that Detroit and its surrounding communities need each other and share a common destiny. We must value and empower those who imagine a city of more rather than a city of less, even while embracing the idea that we may need to become leaner to ensure that the city thrives, not just survives.

This vision of a greater, healthier, more vibrant, urban and livable Detroit is our single purpose, our manifest object and basis for this transformative moment. For Michigan to have a prosperous future, Detroit must be at the center of it.

PRINCIPLES

Building on Detroit’s assets to create opportunity and options for a prosperous city and people:

* Be welcoming and embrace our diversity. Move beyond mere tolerance of our differences to a true commitment to openness, understanding and cooperation, and the inclusion of multiple perspectives both in our neighborhoods and at the highest decision-making realms.

* Cultivate creativity. Build an infrastructure to foster and promote emerging talent in one of Detroit’s greatest strengths, the arts: music, film, visual arts, design, and other creative industries.

* Diversify our economy. Create a culture of opportunity and risk-taking, especially by investing in entrepreneurialism and small, micro-business.

* Promote sustainability. Embrace the triple bottom line of economic, social and environmental benefit by retooling our infrastructure with green technology, adapting vacant buildings and open spaces for new uses, and creating healthy, family-supporting jobs.

* Think regionally and leverage our geography. Maximize our position as an international border city and a Midwestern hub between Chicago and Toronto. Forge meaningful partnerships between Detroit and its suburbs to compete globally in the 21st century.

PLEDGE

We, the undersigned, endorse the principles in this document and accept the responsibility to be stewards of prosperity in our communities.

Growth for growth's sake is the ideology of the cancer cell. -- Edward Abbey

I wonder where certain urban-oriented subcultures that normally live in pre-WWII or city neighborhoods reside in in the Detroit area; hipsters, artists, the GLBT crowd, and young adults with a preference for more active, higher density environments. In Buffalo, those subcultures can be found mostly in city neighborhoods (Allentown, Elmwood Village, Delaware District, and increasingly North Park). In Cleveland, they're split between a couple of city neighborhoods (Tremont and Ohio City) and inner ring suburbs (mainly Cleveland Heights and Lakewood).

Growth for growth's sake is the ideology of the cancer cell. -- Edward Abbey

I wonder where certain urban-oriented subcultures that normally live in pre-WWII or city neighborhoods reside in in the Detroit area; hipsters, artists, the GLBT crowd, and young adults with a preference for more active, higher density environments. In Buffalo, those subcultures can be found mostly in city neighborhoods (Allentown, Elmwood Village, Delaware District, and increasingly North Park). In Cleveland, they're split between a couple of city neighborhoods (Tremont and Ohio City) and inner ring suburbs (mainly Cleveland Heights and Lakewood).

I think for the past decade or so, besides a couple pockets in the city, those crowds have been concentrated in a few suburbs, mainly those north of the city along the Woodward and Main Street corridors (Ferndale, Royal Oak, Berkley). I've heard talk that those folks also exist in communities "Down River" and south of the city, but I couldn't tell you the last time I ventured south of Michigan Avenue so I can neither confirm nor deny these rumors.

Over the past couple of years, I have noticed that those remaining pockets in the city in neighborhoods like Corktown and Woodbridge seem to be growing. I don't know if the numbers will show this as well, but there seems to be a lot more activity going on in these places than at the start of the 21st century. Hamtramck, while always pretty vibrant, seems to be attracting more of a hipster crowd over the last couple of years as well.

I always see articles and hear stories about artists and the like coming to Detroit and moving into some house they bought for $100 and it seems like only a matter of time until the city hits a critical mass of artists (visual, music, etc.) and can maybe become the Portland (Oregon) of the Midwest in the world of music. To me, it seems like a natural progression - as Seattle became too expensive for artists living and working there in the 1990s, they began migrating south to Portland. Seattle never really lost its clout because big labels like Sub Pop and Barsuk stuck around, they just had to share the rest of the scene with Portland. I like to picture the day when artists start a massive exodus out of Chicago and come to Detroit where they can live and practice their art for a fraction of the cost of doing so in the Windy City and still have plenty of places to perform live and access back to their labels in Chicago. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

The Warrendale Neighborhood has several bars that cater to the LGTB community. It is located near Dearborn and is working class. Its a lot like a less yuppie version of Ferndale with way more muslims. The few gay couples that I knew that lived here however moved out a while ago and moved to Fasionable Ferndale. Don't know to what extent the community still exists here except for the bars and clubs.

Attached is a video clip of the opening credits for the HBO TV series Hung. The exterior scenes (and this clip) are filmed in Detroit. Gives a small perspective of the Motor City. It is a somewhat positive clip.

I miss Metro Detroit. I'd move back if the job opportunity was the right one. As many problems as it has, once it's in your blood, it's hard to get it our of your system. I was in town over the weekend and every time I return I just get this feeling that it's where I'm supposed to be. West Michigan will never be home like Metro Detroit.

"I'm very important. I have many leather-bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany"

That (the Palladium video) completely changed my idea of the city. Sounds like a cool place, and I'm not joking.

The obvious disclaimer, though - according to wikipedia, which I know isn't always accurate, over 80% of Detroit is black. Most of the people interviewed belonged to the white population of the city, which is a slim minority at 12%. The filmmaker gave us the viewpoint of a very select crowd, namely young, white artists. I wonder what the average citizen would have to say.

That (the Palladium video) completely changed my idea of the city. Sounds like a cool place, and I'm not joking.

The obvious disclaimer, though - according to wikipedia, which I know isn't always accurate, over 80% of Detroit is black. Most of the people interviewed belonged to the white population of the city, which is a slim minority at 12%. The filmmaker gave us the viewpoint of a very select crowd, namely young, white artists. I wonder what the average citizen would have to say.

I love the city of Detroit and would love nothing more than to see it's rebirth. The Palladium videos are quite cute, but don't nearly capture the despair that most residents deal with on a daily basis. Most of the "artists" are wannabee Detroit residents...that is, they either live in the suburbs and just spend most of their time in they city, or are simply renters (NTTAWWT).

The majority would tell you to solve racism. I'm of the firm belief that racism is the biggest reason for what has happened to Detroit. Detroit was/is the epicenter of racism. Detroit was the epicenter of the great migration of blacks that came from the south to the north during the rise of manufacturing explosion.

Solve racism and you solve Detroit. Not an easy task. Unfortunately.

Honestly, as much as people wish it to not be true, I truly do not see a path where Detroit becomes a viable city any time soon, without some type of revolutionary movement. And I'm not even sure what I mean by "revolutionary".

Last edited by btrage; 20 Sep 2010 at 11:56 PM.

"I'm very important. I have many leather-bound books and my apartment smells of rich mahogany"

That (the Palladium video) completely changed my idea of the city. Sounds like a cool place, and I'm not joking.

The obvious disclaimer, though - according to wikipedia, which I know isn't always accurate, over 80% of Detroit is black. Most of the people interviewed belonged to the white population of the city, which is a slim minority at 12%. The filmmaker gave us the viewpoint of a very select crowd, namely young, white artists. I wonder what the average citizen would have to say.

These do not show the average citizen. Detroit has a huge very poor population and those who are middle or upper class simply would not make a good story. Much of Detroit's black population is migrating to the suburbs. Detroit is a much smaller city than it was in the 2000 census, and it is a lot more diverse. It is still largely black though.

A lot of what makes the City cool is not shown in these videos. It is a very narrow slice made by someone who wants to tell a story.

The video was what it was in the sense that it represented the select few and not the many, but at least it made me want to visit. Also I should have paid attention to what year the census was; perfect example of wikiblowinit.

I don't know if you guys are familiar with Next American City (the magazine), but their new issue is about Detroit and New Orleans as two American 'Comeback Cities.' Should be interesting, think I'll pick one up.

Interestingly, IMHO, if or, perhaps more likely, when true high-speed rail passenger service is ever brought to Detroit and, especially, if a 'Schengen' style border agreement between Canada and the USA can be negotiated, the very BEST place that I can think of for the Detroit stop would be...

.

.

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...the Michigan Central station. (Imagining that place being rebuilt into a true HSR station.... )

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That said, one thing that does very much impress me about that series of video clips is that *ALL* of that effort and initiative is coming from the private sector with ZERO governmental involvement of any kind from any level.